The Cambridge Companion to Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen

This Companion provides an overview and in-depth analysis of Wagner's Ring using traditional critical analysis alongside more recent approaches.

Mark Berry (Edited by), Nicholas Vazsonyi (Edited by)

9781107519473, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 24 September 2020

350 pages, 5 b/w illus. 30 music examples
17 x 24.5 x 2 cm, 0.73 kg

'This Companion fully captures the richness and all too human complexity of this astonishing work, offering up multiple paths for us each to find our way to its heart.' Hugo Shirley, Opera

The Companion is an essential, interdisciplinary tool for those both familiar and unfamiliar with Wagner's Ring. It opens with a concise introduction to both the composer and the Ring, introducing Wagner as a cultural figure, and giving a comprehensive overview of the work. Subsequent chapters, written by leading Wagner experts, focus on musical topics such as 'leitmotif', and structure, and provide a comprehensive set of character portraits, including leading players like Wotan, Brünnhilde, and Siegfried. Further chapters look to the mythological background of the work and the idea of the Bayreuth Festival, as well as critical reception of the Ring, its relationship to Nazism, and its impact on literature and popular culture, in turn offering new approaches to interpretation including gender, race and environmentalism. The volume ends with a history of notable stage productions from the world premiere in 1876 to the most recent stagings in Bayreuth and elsewhere.

List of figures
List of music examples
List of contributors
Preface
List of abbreviations
Introduction Mark Berry and Nicholas Vazsonyi
Part I. Myth: 1. Greek tragedy and myth Jason Geary
2. Wagner and the rise of modern mythology Stefan Arvidsson
Part II. Aesthetics: 3. The Ring in theory and practice Arnold Whittall
4. Form and structure J. P. E. Harper-Scott
5. Listening for leitmotifs: concept, theory, practice Christian Thorau
6. The Bayreuth concept and the significance of performance Roger Allen
Part III. Interpretations: 7. Characters in the 'world' of the Ring Mark Berry
8. The Ring as a political and philosophical drama Anthony Arblaster
9. The idea of nature Thomas Grey
10. Gender and sexuality Chris Walton
Part IV. Impact: 11. Critical responses Barbara Eichner
12. Placing the Ring in literary history David Trippett
13. Specters of Nazism Tash Siddiqui
14. The Ring in cinematic and popular culture Adrian Daub
15. Notable productions Barry Millington
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Musical scores, lyrics & libretti [AVQ], Opera [AVGC9], Music reviews & criticism [AVC]